Bronze (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 5)

by Teagan Brooks

  “That makes sense.” I got the feeling he didn’t want to talk about it, so I changed the subject. “I’m guessing you want to shower and change?” At his nod, I asked another pertinent question. “Would you prefer a bath or a shower?”

  He grinned devilishly. “Tell me you’re asking because you’ve got some kind of badass hot tub somewhere in this ritzy place.”

  I chuckled. “I wouldn’t have put it like that, but yes, I was asking if you’d like to use my bathroom with the rainfall showerhead and multiple body sprayers or the jetted whirlpool bathtub in the guest suite?”

  “How big is the tub?”

  My lips twisted to the side while I tried to formulate a guess. “It could probably fit four or five people. I really don’t know.”

  “Enough said. Show me to the shower, Sweet Sloane.”

  “Not the choice I expected,” I mumbled and led him upstairs to my personal bathroom. My mother had it redone for my birthday the previous year. I didn’t know then that it would be the last birthday gift I received from my mother. And I was thrilled with the opportunity to show it off.

  “Oh, I’ll definitely be choosing the hot tub. But I want to get something to eat before I enjoy a nice hot soak with your naked body plastered against mine.”

  With that, he walked past me and entered the bathroom, whistling slowly as he took in the posh surroundings. “Gotta say, I was expecting pink and fluffy.”

  “I should turn off the hot water while you’re showering for that.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll be finished before the tank runs out of the water that’s already heated,” he said on just that side of arrogant.

  He reached out and gently gripped my lower lip between his thumb and index finger. “Don’t pout, Sweet Sloane. It was a nice try. Oww!”

  “Ahh!” I yelled at the same time and dropped my ass to the floor. With my foot cradled in my hands, I demanded, “What in the hell is wrong with your leg?”

  He laughed and knelt down beside me, carefully replacing my hands with his. “This is what happens when a fairy kicks a giant with her tiny pixie feet. Little bones don’t like it when they collide with bigger bones.”

  “Are you telling me my feet are too tiny to kick you?” I all but yelled as I struggled to control my anger and deal with the pain in my foot.

  “Barefoot. I’m saying your feet are too tiny to kick things barefoot. You need shoes, preferably steel-toe boots or something similar, for protection,” he clarified and glanced up from my foot to study my face.

  “Don’t even give me that look. It has nothing to do with you being a woman and me being a man and everything to do with physics. Now, quit trying to bicker with me, and let me see if it’s okay.”

  “How are you going to know if it isn’t?” I asked and immediately felt compelled to clarify myself. “I didn’t mean for that to sound offensive. I really want to know how you’re going to determine if it’s okay.” I shrugged. “I guess I’m asking you to teach me.”

  “I’m just going off of what I’ve learned through my experiences over the years. First, can you move it?”

  I carefully rotated my ankle, which wasn’t sore at all, and slowly worked my way down to try wiggling my toes. “It hurts a little more when I move these two,” I said and pointed to the first two toes on my right foot.

  “Guess we better call a toe truck,” Bronze said casually.

  It took me a few seconds longer than I cared to admit to catch the joke. When I finally did, I playfully slapped his chest, causing him to flinch. “I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?” I asked and reached out to pull him closer.

  He laughed and shook his head. “No, you didn’t hurt me. Other than my pride.” He paused for a moment and cast his eyes toward the ceiling. “I flinched because I thought you were going to hit one of my nipples. I just got the motherfuckers to stop bothering me, and I don’t want anything to irritate them again.”

  I held it together for five, maybe six, seconds before I doubled over in laughter. The kind that makes you spray a mouthful of drink across the room.

  “You just wait!” he said and pointed a finger at me. “When you have kids and start breastfeeding, you’ll know exactly what it feels like.”

  “I think the important question here is how do you know exactly what it feels like?” I asked and chewed on the inside of my lip to keep from smiling as I waited for him to realize what he’d said.

  “Oh, fucking hell!” he swore when it hit him. “One of the Old Ladies in the club had a baby not too long ago. Anyway, she said the pain and symptoms I was describing were the same ones she had when she was breastfeeding. That’s all I meant,” he said vehemently and held his hands in the air. “Now, is your foot okay?”

  “Yeah, I think it’s fine now. It hurt like hell at first, but it’s eased off. I’ll probably have a nasty bruise in the morning.”

  “Good. Then, I’m going to get in the shower. I’m starving, and clearly my brain needs sustenance to function properly.”

  I carefully got to my feet, testing my foot a few times before fully putting my weight on it. Once I was sure it was okay, I looked to Bronze. “Help yourself to whatever you need in here. I’ll be in the kitchen working on something to eat. If you get lost on the way back, press the middle button on any of the intercom panels to talk to me. There’s one in every room in the house,” I said and pointed to the one strategically placed in the bathroom to be convenient yet hidden.

  “Sounds good,” he said and leaned down to kiss my cheek.

  I waited until he turned and dropped his towel to head to the kitchen. But first, I darted forward and slapped my open palm on his bare ass as hard as I could before I hightailed it to the kitchen, hysterically laughing the entire way.

  20

  As I followed Bronze back to Devil Springs, I wondered what in the hell I was thinking when I agreed to attend a cookout at his clubhouse. His clubhouse. As in, the badass boxing biker invited the Irish princess to his clubhouse to meet his friends, his club brothers, and his blood brother—the one who told me to leave Devil Springs and not come back. Bronze thought I was nervous about seeing him again and repeatedly assured me that Layla was on Team Sloane; therefore, Copper was on Team Sloane.

  To be perfectly honest, I was nervous, but it had nothing to do with Copper and everything to do with meeting Bronze’s daughter. Were babies capable of judging people? Because I was certain his little girl was going to judge me and not in a good way.

  My phone ringing through the car's stereo startled me, causing my heart to slam against my ribs for a few painful beats. “Hello!” I answered, sounding every bit as frazzled as I was.

  “Why do you always sound like you’re dying when I call you?” Frankie asked.

  I let my mouth hang open and tried to quietly catch my breath. “I do not,” I said and managed to sound somewhat normal.

  “Well, prepare yourself, because you’re about to.”

  “What?” I asked, scrunching my forehead in confusion.

  “Hold on. What are you doing right now?”

  I chewed on my lower lip for a few beats before deciding to tell her the truth. “I’m following Bronze back to his clubhouse in Devil Springs to meet his brothers and his daughter at a cookout,” I blurted.

  “Let me tell you something, girl. I already knew all that. Want to know how?” she asked, though she never paused for me to answer. “You texted me asking what someone would wear to a casual barbecue. Then, a few days later, you asked the same question about a biker bar. But the big clue was when you sent me the beta copy of your latest story—The Fighter and The Sports Journalist. Now, tell me, Sloane, what day is it today?” she asked calmly. Too calmly.

  “It’s Sunday?” I guessed, even though I thought I knew what day it was.

  “Yes, it is. And when are you planning on returning home?” she asked.

  I felt like I was being led into the wolf’s den for dinner, and it was too late to cancel my reservation. “Um, I don’t know exactl
y. I mean, it’s a three-hour drive, so I was planning on staying the night. I’ll probably get a room at the same hotel I did the last time I was in Devil Springs—”

  “Don’t even pretend like we all don’t know you’re staying in that man’s bed tonight and probably tomorrow night, too,” she interrupted.

  I huffed as if I was frustrated. “Fine. You know me too well.”

  “Hold that thought. If I mathed right, you’ll be heading back to Cherryfield on Wednesday, probably getting home in the evening.”

  “Yeah, that sounds about right, assuming everything goes well.”

  “I’ll give you your pep talk about that in a minute. I’ve already made a sticky note. Now, tell me, Sloane, Writer of Words, Rider of Bikers, and Forgetter of Flights, what is happening on Thursday?”

  I gripped the steering wheel tightly and screamed at the top of my lungs. “Shit! What am I going to do now?”

  “We both know you’re not going to change your current plans, which means you’ll end up scrambling to get your shit together and make it to your flight on time. You’ll calm down on the plane. I’ll pick you up at the airport, and we will kick ass at this signing like we always do.”

  “Have I told you how much I love you?”

  “Not today, but you’ve had biker booty on the brain. Go play with his baby, eat his frank, and swallow his beans.”

  “Ewww! You made it sound dirty in a dirty, gross way.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” she giggled. “How far from his clubhouse are you?”

  “I don’t know. Let me look—twenty minutes!” I shrieked. “I’m not ready!”

  “Stop it. You’re fine. Touch up your makeup at the next stoplight and run a brush through your hair. There’s no reason to be nervous. You’ve already met him, and some of the people he’s associated with. You’re going to go in there and make them fall in love with you like you do every time you meet new people. Now shush it, because I need the next ten minutes to go over our schedule for the event with you.”

  “Yes!” I excitedly agreed. “That’ll be the perfect distraction. Let’s hear it.”

  Precise as always, she finished reviewing the schedule of events for the weekend in just under ten minutes, followed by another quick pep talk that left me with one minute to myself before I pulled into a gated parking lot in front of a warehouse-type building.

  I assumed we would park in the front lot, but Bronze continued around several buildings and parked behind the last one.

  “I figured you’d want a minute to freshen up before meeting everyone. This is the back way to my room,” he explained when I got out of my car.

  “Thanks,” I murmured. “Appreciate it.”

  He took my hand in his and gently squeezed. “Are you nervous?”

  “A little,” I admitted.

  “Is it because of Copper? Or is it because you’re meeting the rest of your man’s family for the first time?”

  My steps faltered, and I tripped, careening forward but never hitting the ground. Bronze’s arm snapped out and grabbed a handful of my shirt, yanking back to stop my fall. Thankfully, it worked. Unfortunately, the move also ripped my top in several places.

  “Shit! Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Pausing to catch my breath, I looked myself over as best I could. “But I don’t think my shirt is,” I said and pointed to one of the torn seams.

  “Damn. It was the only way I could catch you.”

  “Don’t apologize. I’d much rather have a torn shirt than a busted face or broken arm. Besides, I have a change of clothes in the car.”

  He hooked my belt loop and pulled me closer. “You better have more than one change of clothes with you.”

  My stomach fluttered in delight. “My brothers were boy scouts. They taught me to always be prepared,” I grinned.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Your brothers were boy scouts?” He shook his head. “Around here, you don’t have to hide who your family is. We’re bikers, babe. We’re not saints.”

  Damn if that didn’t make my pussy purr.

  “Keys,” he demanded and slapped my ass when I failed to respond.

  “Hey! What was that for?” I asked and swatted him back, suddenly realizing he’d led me back to my car.

  “You need your keys to unlock the door,” he said slowly. “To get your change of clothes.”

  Opening my purse, I unhooked my keys and handed them to him.

  He looked from the keys to me and back with a look of exaggerated confusion on his face. “What mystical sorcery is this? I’ve never seen a female find her keys that fast in real life. Wait a minute. Was that a magic trick? Oh, please tell me I’m on one of those reality shows right now.”

  A giant gust of wind blew, right that very second, and slammed my large, heavy purse right into his abdomen, producing the most beautiful, “Oof!”

  “It’s called a carabiner hook, you big dufus. I don’t know why other women, or at least the ones you’ve been around, don’t use them, but I’ve kept my keys on one since I was eighteen years old. I clip them inside my purse or on the strap, and I hang them up in the same spot as soon as I get home. It’s rare that I ever lose my keys. And let me take this moment to make it clear that if you hide my keys and try to claim I lost them, I’ll superglue your balls to your taint while you’re sleeping.” With that, I pointed to my keys. “You gonna unlock it or keep palming my fob?”

  He clicked unlock while staring at me with an odd look on his face. “I think I’m supposed to be putting you in the crazy pile and sending you on your way, but I’m strangely turned on by your threat. You got any more where that one came from?”

  Ignoring his question, I shook my head and reached into the trunk to retrieve my bag when a tattooed forearm filled my vision. “Are you new here? I know you can do it, but when I’m around, you don’t have to, and I don’t want you to.”

  “Thank you,” I said and stepped out of the way. “And for the record, I’m not offended by chivalry, but I appreciate your concern for my feelings.”

  He smiled shyly. “My mom was a very laid-back woman. She didn’t have many rules for us growing up but being respectful of others and minding our manners were two she was strict about.”

  “She sounds like an interesting woman. I’d love to hear more about her sometime.” I genuinely did. It’d been almost a year since my mom died, and I cherished every chance I got to share my favorite memories of her with someone.

  I followed him in through the back to his room a few doors down on the right. I’m not sure what I was envisioning his room to be, but it wasn’t a bedroom just like any other bedroom you would walk into.

  He noticed my expression and laughed. “What did you expect?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Wood paneling on the walls, popcorn ceilings, a variation of orange or brown carpet, a lot of dust, and I was definitely anticipating some sort of musty smell.”

  He laughed so loud I just knew he’d have the entire club knocking on his door in a matter of minutes. “Shhh!” I insisted and ran into the bathroom without grabbing my bag. “Damn it!” I whispered and whirled around to get it. However, Bronze had moved it to right outside the bathroom door. “Thank you,” I called while snatching my bag and quickly closed the door.

  After changing into a new shirt, I realized I needed to change into a different pair of jeans, which led to another pair of shoes, followed by a change of jewelry, and finally, another style of bra. When I emerged almost fifteen minutes later, Bronze was sitting on the edge of his bed, bouncing a beautiful baby girl in his arms. She turned her head toward me and grinned.

  “Hi there,” I cooed and wiggled my fingers in the air.

  “Blue, this is Sloane. Sloane, this is my daughter, Blue Talon Black,” he said proudly.

  “She’s beautiful,” I whispered, mesmerized by her stunning blue irises. “Did you name her Blue because of her eyes?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “No, I didn't. I al
ways said that’s what I’d tell people, but since you know the real story, it was because she was wrapped in a blue blanket when she was first given to me.”

  Realizing I had inadvertently brought up a sensitive subject, I changed the subject and put myself at the center of attention. “Let’s do this before I chicken out and run for my car,” I said and held up my keys.

  He rose to his feet and ushered me toward the door. “There’s no reason to be nervous. Yeah, a couple of the guys, and maybe one or two of the girls, might give you a little shit, but I promise they’ll only be fucking with you. Everyone here’s excited to meet you.”

  “Oh,” I said, exaggerating my surprise. “And what have you told them about me?”

  He snorted and gently bounced Blue in his arms. “I didn’t say anything other than I was bringing a friend to the cookout. And now’s probably a good time to mention that the girls don’t know about me fighting. I told them we met at a club, which isn’t a lie.”

  “No need to explain to me. I know how things work in worlds like this. Besides, you got a deal as long as you don’t mention my sibling to my brothers or my father. Or anyone for that matter.”

  He stopped and held out his hand. “Deal,” he said with a curt nod.

  I laughed but shook his hand. “Deal.”

  Blue giggled and unexpectedly launched herself at me. Bronze clearly wasn’t expecting the move and fumbled to catch her. Since I was still shaking his hand, I was close enough to reach up and grab her, pulling her safely into my arms.

  Bronze’s hands continued to try to catch Blue after she’d been caught by me, and we ended up in a tangled hug while Bronze and I caught our breath.

  “She’s never done that before,” he said in disbelief. “Well, not when I’ve been holding her. She does it if I’ve been gone for a while and walk into the room when someone else is holding her.”

  “Oh, well, I’m a little flattered, even though it worries me. What if I’m too far away and can’t catch her? I don’t want her to get hurt.”

  I felt him place a kiss on the top of my head. “Sweet Sloane,” he murmured and gently pressed his hand against the small of my back to cue me to start walking again, leaving Blue cradled in my arms.